Rolling-mill for wire rods



(No Model.)

W. GARRETT.

ROLLING MILL FOR WIRE RODS.

No. 320,237. Patented June 16, 1885.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES:

B g M M ATTORNEY.

Nrrnn STATES ATENT tries.

NVILLIAM GARRETT, OF IITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROLLING-MILL FOR WIRE RODS.

fiPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,237, dated June 16, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GARRETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Rolling-Mill Plants, of which improvements the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of my continuous rolling-mill plant. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the billet-train. Figs. 3 and 4. are front elevations of parts of the rodtrain.

The object of my invention is to so arrange the rolls composing my improved plant and to so connect the successive pairs of rolls that the operation of the plant will be entirely automatic from that point in the operation where the bloom has been sufficiently reduced in cross-section to permit of its being fed by doubling in up to that point where the bar or red becomes so small and pliable as to render the action of the turning or twisting and guiding devices uncertain.

The rolls composing a plant have heretofore been arranged either in a commonline of feed or else with their axes in line with each other. In the first arrangement each succeeding pair of rolls must have an increase of speed proportionate to the amount of reduction in the preceding pair of rolls, and as in such a train there can be no provision made for what is termed looping out the adjustments of the rolls as to speed and reduction must be carefully maintained at all times. In the second arrangement mentioned 'i. 0., the rolls with their axes in line with each othcrit is customary to provide each alternate pair of rolls with grooves adapted to produce an oval rod or bar, the intermediate rollsbeing constructed to produce square or round bars or rods. The feeding of the bar from one pair of rolls to the next suceeedingpair cannot be made automatic on both sides of the line of rolls, as it is not practical to turn or twist an oval rod while passing along a curved guide from one pair of rolls to the next-that is, from a pair of rolls having grooves constructed to produce bars or rods oval in cross-section to a pair of rolls having grooves adapted to produce bars or rods round or square in cross-section. It is transferred as soon as properly heated.

next, except between such pairs where a turn or twist is given to the passing rod. The steel or iron blooms to be treated are charged into the furnaces A A, located in convenient proximity to the billet-train 13, to which they are This billet-train consists of the three-high rolls 1 and the two-high rolls 2, the three-high rolls being provided with suitable grooves for the reduction of the bloom to billet size by a series of back and forth end passes. These rolls 1 should be so constructed as to produce a billet of such a size in cross-section that on its emergence from the last pass it can be fed to the two-high rolls by doubling in; and to effect this feeding of the billet from the last pass of the rolls 1 to the rolls 2 I employ a curved guide, 3. These rolls 1 are driven by an engine, represented at E, the shalt a of the engine being provided with a suitable flywheel, b, and being connected to the shaft of one of the rolls 1, the other rolls being driven. by. a system of intermeshing gearing, l, and the rolls 2 are connected by suit-able shafts and couplings to the shafts of two of the three-high mill 1. From the rolls 2, which are provided with grooves constructed to produce a bar oval in cross-section, as shown in. Fig. 2, the bar or billet is conducted by a suitable trough, 5, to the rolls 6 of the train 0. This train 0 should be located at sufficient distance from the train. 13 to permit of the back and forth passes through the rolls 1 during the reduction of the bloom to billet form, and. should. be driven at such a speed as to take up the billet as fast as presented by the rolls 2. At any desired point in the trough 5, preferably near the rolls 2, is located the turning or twistin g guide 7, adapted to so turn the oval bar or billet emerging from the rolls 2 as to properly present it to the grooves of the rolls (3, the grooves of the rolls 6 being constructed to produce a bar or billet square in erosssection, as shown in Fig. 3. From the rolls 6 the bar or billet is automatically guided by the curved trough 8 to the rolls 9 of the train 0. The rolls 6 and 9 of the train are driven from the shaft 0, provided with the gear 10, adapted to intermesh with the gear 11 on the shaft of one of the line of rolls composing the train,-

and as there is space suificient to permit the looping out of the bar the rolls 6 and 9 can be driven at the same rate of speed, the

trough 8 being so constructed as to permit the loop in the bar to slip over the edge and spread out over the floor of the mill, as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The bar is guided as it leaves the rolls 9, which are provided with grooves adapted to give the bar an oval shape in cross-scction, by the trough 12 to the rolls 13 of the train D, which are driven from the shaft 0 through medium of the gears 14 and 15, I

and as no provision can be made for the looping out of the bar between the rolls 9 and 13 the gears 14 and 15 are so proportioned as to drive the rolls 13 at a higher rate of speed than the rolls 9, proportionate to the amount of reduction and consequent elongation produced by the rolls 9. In the trough 12, connecting the rolls 9 and 13, is located a twisting or turning guide, 16, for giving a partial rotation to the oval bar as it leaves the rolls 9, and thereby effecting its proper presentation to the rolls 13, which. are provided with grooves suitable for the p roduction of square bars or rods, as shown in Fig. 4. From the rolls 13 the squared rod passes by the curved guide 17 to the rolls 1 8, forming a part of the train D, said rolls being eonnected, as shown, to the rolls 13, and driven at auniform rate therewith, provision being made in the location of these rolls 13 and 18 for the overflow of the rod from the guide 17 and its looping out along the floor of the mill. The rod, as it emerges from the rolls 18, which are provided with grooves suitable for the production of rods oval in cross-section, passes alongatrough, 19, provided with a suitable turning ortwistingguide, 20, to the rolls 21 of the train 0, said rolls being constructed withsuitable grooves adapted to reduce the oval. bar properly presented thereto by the trough and turning-guide toa bar square or round in eross-settion. These rolls 21 are driven at a speed higher than the speed of the rolls 18 proportionate to the amount of reduction and elongation effected by the rolls 18, through the medium of the gears 22 and 23 from the shaft 0, said gears being so proportioned as to produce this increase of speed, which is necessary, as there can be no looping out between the rolls 18 and 21, and the bar must therefore be taken up by the rolls 21 as fast as fed thereto by the preceding rolls 18. i From the rolls 21 the bar passes by the guide 24 to the grooved rolls 25 of the train 0, where it is reduced to an oval shape in crosssection, and thence through the trough 26 and twisting-guide 27 to the rolls 28, composing the train D, said iolls being grooved for the production of rods square or round in crosssection. The rolls 25 are suitably connected to the rolls 21, and are driven at a uniform rate therewith, the guide 24 being constructed to permit of the overflow of the rod and its looping out along the floor of the mill but as the rolls 25 and 28 are located'in such relation to each other as to preclude such looping out ,lthe rolls 28 are driven at a suffieiently increased speed as to take the rod as rapidly as presented by the rolls 25, such increased speed being obtained by properly proportioning the gears 29 and 30, connected, respectively,to the powershaft 0 and the shaft of one of the rolls 28. From therolls 28 the bar passes along the curved .guide 31 to the rolls 32, having grooves suitably constructed to reduce thebar to an oval shape in cross-section,and as it emerges from the rolls 32 it is directed into the rolls 33 by catchers and feeders, the rod having been reduced to such an area in cross-section and therefore so pliable as to render the action of an automatic feedingand turning guide uncertain. from the rolls 33, which are suitably grooved to reduce the rod to a square shape in crosssection,to the rolls 34 by the curved guide 35,- and as it emerges from the rolls 34 it is again directed into the rolls'36 by catchers and feeders. These rolls, from 32 to 36, inclusive,form what I term the finishing train D, and'the last pair of rolls,36,are provided with grooves suitably constructed for reducing the rod to a round section. The rod passes from the rolls 36 along the floor of the mill to the reels R R, which are driven at a sufficiently high speed to reel up the rod as fast as it passes from the rolls 36. The main power-shaft c is driven by the engine represented at F through the me dium of ropes or belts g, passing over the flywheel f of the engine and the pulley h on the shaft 0, and the train D is driven by the e11- gine H through the medium of the ropes or belts 70, passing around the fly-wheel of said engine and the pulley Z, suitably connected with said train of rolls.

I claim herein as my invention 1. In a rolling-mill plant for rolling wire rods, the combination of the billet-train B and the rod-trains C, G, D, and D, each succeeding train being driven at an increased rate of speed as compared with the preceding train proportional to the amount of reduction and consequent elongation effected by the last pass of the preceding train, a finishing-train, D, and suitable troughs or guides between the last pass of one train and the first pass of the next train forconducting, and, except for the last train, turning the bar or rod on its axis, substantially as set forth.

2. In arolling-mill plant for rolling wire rods, the combination of the trains B, C, D, and (3, each train composed of two pairs or sets of rolls, the train D, the rolls of each train being driven at the same rate of speed, but each succeeding train being driven at an increased rate of speed as compared with the preceding train proportional to the amount of elongation effected by the last pass of the preceding train, curved guides for connecting each pair of rolls composing the trains B, G,

The rod is guided IIO D, and 0, adapted to permit of the looping out of the rod between such pairs, and a trough and turning-guide between the last pass of one train and the first pass of the next train for conducting and turning the bar on its axis, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rolling-mill plant for rolling wire rods, the combination of the trains B O D 0, each composed of two pairs or sets of rolls, the first pair of rolls of each train being provided with suitable grooves for the production of bars square or round in cross-section, and the second pair of rolls of each train having grooves adapted to produce bars or rods oval in crosssection, a train, D, having grooves r 5 

